Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 23: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by All Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Teachers Federation seeking policy for maintaining student-teacher ratio in the schools, Division Bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sindhu Sharma has granted one month’s time for producing a better status report bringing on record the needs of the educational institutions and also the existing student-teacher ratio in urban and rural areas.
After hearing Senior Advocate Pranav Kohli with Advocate Farhan Mirza for the PIL whereas AAG Amit Gupta for the UT, Division Bench observed, “in the order dated 15.02.2021 this court had recorded that status report filed on 13.05.2019 is deficit and does not spell out if the various infrastructure projects referred therein have been completed. Accordingly, time was given to the respondents for filing fresh status report”.
“Similarly by an order dated 07.12.2021, the respondents were directed to indicate the progress in the student-teacher ratio in both the urban and rural areas. In pursuance thereof, a fresh report has been filed on 07.12.2021 but again this only concerns with the infrastructure projects and not with student-teacher ratio”, the DB further observed.
On this, Amit Gupta, Additional Advocate General, submitted that he may be granted some more time to produce a better status report bringing on record the entire policy and the need of the educational institutions in the Union Territory as also the existing student-teacher ratio in both the urban and rural areas.
The DB while considering the request directed that the status report be filed within a month supported by an affidavit of an officer not below the rank of Secretary to Government, Department of Education.
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